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Monkey Missing in Lawrenceville

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - JUNE 01: A macaque monkey who is trained for street performances, known as 'topeng monyet', areis chained in 'monkey village', where the animals are trained to take part in street performances on June 1, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The street performances usually involve the monkeys wearing masks, such as dolls' heads or attire to mimic humans, with the monkeys trained to act out human activities such as shopping, riding bicycles or other simulations of human behaviour. Poverty drives the handlers to exploit the monkeys in the hope of earning small change, but the effect and cruelty to the monkeys is a cause that charities such as the Jakarta Animal Aid Network are increasingly taking up. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

ATLANTA (WAOK)-People living in Lawrenceville, Georgia are keeping their eyes open for a 2 year old female rhesus monkey missing for about two weeks. The monkey had been part of a research project at Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station. Researchers are looking over the 117 acres of land that make up the primate research center, hoping to find the animal there.

The monkey is described as a small animal that was not used for research to infect it with any disease. Researchers at Yerkes said the animal is one of many specially bred rhesus macaques that do not have the herpes B virus, which is a disease common to the species.

There are concerns that the small monkey may not be able to survive long in the wild on its own since it has only been fed a regular diet of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Callers to WAOK expressed different concerns. Many listeners said they felt researchers may be looking for this monkey because it could be infectious. If you come in contact with the monkey or think you have seen it, authorities ask that you do not approach the animal.

Individuals are being asked to call the field station at 404-727-7732 or Gwinnett Animal Control at 770-339-3200.

So they tell us, but this monkey has been missing for two weeks with potentially lethal infectious diseases in it, why is the public being notified now? This is irresponsible behavior on the part of Emory and this lab…What else have they allowed to “escape” and might not have turned up, and we the public were never notified?…I hope they find bubbles and get him back with with his companions…

Because it has no lethal infectious diseases at all, it is a control subject. Read before commenting next time. They have been assuming it would turn up as there were no breaches of the enclosure located and 119 acres is a huge area for a tiny monkey to disappear in

@Drew; They say it does not have “lethal infections”, yet they waited two weeks to report this aniimal is missing…You are the one who’s not exercising critical thinking…This is Emory a major research University and who have an animal missing and they tell us after the fact and made sure they added “none lethal infections” in their statement…Those two words, “lethal and infections” does not belong in the same sentence…I have some swamp property for sale in Louisiana as well as a riverfront estate in the middle of the Saraha, interested in putting in an offer? Unbelieveable the niaivete of some people…